What Welsh girls names are fashionable?

[RoseApp]

Friend still looking for a Welsh girls name. She doesn’t live in Wales but is of Welsh heritage.

Is Ffion still an acceptable name in Wales?

I’ve said that in see posts in here saying some names are very old lady

what Welsh field manners are fashionable at the moment?

Also the last time there was this thread, several people said 'Grug' (Heather) was popular in their Cylch/early years classes which I still can't quite believe - the welsh pronunciation sounds a bit prettier (the u is pronounced more as a long eee) but it doesn't sound great said phonetically by non-welsh speakers.

I would largely agree with ' version but maybe not as far back - there was a 20 year old Elin on the traitors last year and I know a Rhiannon in her 60s, etc.

Rhiannon was popular in the1940s, I can think of two who would be about 60 and one in her 30s (one parent Welsh, one not) but lots my parents' age.

Elin and Ffion were fresh and 'new' in the 1960s but many parents born around 1970 used them for their children. I wouldn't be surprised at a 20-yr old Elin and it's a nice name but it would have been a safe choice.

My contemporaries have names like Siân, Carys, Bethan, Rhian, Nia, Delyth, Eleri, Sioned and Manon, and the names were very popular. They're the names of women in the 50-70 age group.

Grug and Fflur - both have a long 'u' sound with no English equivalent.
It's like the 'i' in 'dip', but the length of the ''ee' sound in 'deep'.

(about 4 minutes in) it gives the SW and NW pronunciations.

If she's not actually living in wales her first focus should be how it will be pronounced
I agree. I love a lot of Welsh names that would just not work outside Wales. (Mallt, Leusa, Buddug...).

Most of the popular ones probably are popular because they are pretty much say as you see, even with english phonetics,
I think that applies to parents who are Welsh-heritage not those who speaks Welsh as their first language. I know quite a few young girls with names like Lleucu and Llio.

Sospan fach

That's a song not a name and it's sosban fach.

How about Tanwen (white fire)

It was a joke

There are two girls called Rhiannon in my daughter's year in school.

I only know of one Tanwen. She has a sister called Efa and a mother who is a very good runner (marathons not tv runner).

Are the parents Welsh-speakers?
I like it but Fleetwood Mac ruined it for me but they also said Sara as Sarah.

I love the name Ceridwen.

thanks that’s really helpful I will pass this on. She is not a Welsh speaker. Her grandmother was Welsh and I think the idea appealed. They are considering moving to South Wales

@RoseApp , in their case I would look for a Welsh name they like and use it as a middle name.

If they want a Welsh first name, there are classic ones that won't sound awful. They might not be fashionable but they're acceptable and IMO really nice.
Catrin (Catherine), Elin (Ellen/Helen), Non (St David's mother), Nia (Niamh) and Siân (Jane) fit in that category.
Some names that they might like but I've not seen mentioned are Lois (not Welsh but from the Bible and pronounced Loyce) and Annest (Agnes). They're not fresh and new but they're nice.

Ceridwen is nice and a very old name but I remember some very old Ceridwens from when I was very young and the name got said as Cridwen (it's really Kerr-ID-wenn).

Diphthongs (two vowels next to each other combining to make one sound) are tricky for non-speakers to get right. A name like Lowri (Laura) will get said as Lowry.

When names get anglicised, the stress often gets shifted (e.g. people thinking that Eleri rhymes with celery), or the unstressed vowel gets said as a shwa (e.g. Seren said as Serrun, Bethan said as Bethun).
If you insist on a name like Bethan being said the Welsh way, they'll say Beth-Anne 😦. I've heard Eluned said as Ellin Ed - it's Eh-LIN-ed.

Obviously, they should name their little baby what they like and there are lots of wonderful Welsh names. If they move to South Wales their DC will almost certainly learn Welsh at school.

One Welsh speaking family, the other English speaking. (Rhiannon)

Thanks. I like it.

not sure if some one has already said it but I think Elowyn is very pretty I gave it to my now 5 month old as a middle name

@verabarbleen , why are you suggesting a misspelt Cornish name on a thread called What Welsh girls names are fashionable? ?

I think you’re a bit out of date, in my local primary schools in south wales (where my dc and their cousins go) there are multiple Ffions, Anwens and Elins, as well as the odd Bronwen, Carys, Betsan, Mali, Rhiannon, Rhian and Mair! The old lady names are definitely back in fashion.

I think that applies to parents who are Welsh-heritage not those who speaks Welsh as their first language. I know quite a few young girls with names like Lleucu and Llio.

I was thinking of the really popular ones, i.e. the ones in @YSianiFlewog's list, not just 'I know one or two' but statistically. Like it or not the majority of people, even in wales aren't welsh speakers so the more anglicised/"easy" ones are probably always going to be more popular.

Some people will completely disagree though and not want to dilute their culture for the benefit of others, and make the point you wouldn't criticise a Danish family for naming their dd Lærke or Dagmar because French people wouldn't know how to pronounce it, etc. I hold my hands up and say my view is probably influenced by growing up with an 'unusual' name myself!

They are nothing like the names where I'm from @woodenblox . Those are not old lady names, most are middle-aged names.
The popular old lady names back in fashion are ones like Anni, Elsi and Nansi.
It would be interesting to know what the language background of the parents - I wouldn't name a baby Carys or Rhian for example because of them being so popular decades ago.
Some of the names you listed were popular 35 years ago, so that's why I'm saying they're not fashionable now. Maybe they compare to something like Chloe in that they're still being used but not 'fashionable' any more.

If you are living in somewhere not particularly Welsh culturally and didn't go to a Welsh-medium school you probably won't realise that the names are dated.
There's nothing wrong with the names but I'd be very surprised to hear them for a baby.

... the majority of people, even in wales aren't Welsh speakers so the more anglicised/"easy" ones are probably always going to be more popular.
The styles that the Welsh speakers choose tend to be different to the ones where one or both the parents aren't regular speakers. If your community and culture is Welsh language, you might not be too concerned about how a non-speaker will say the name.
Some of my family chose names based on them living in England or abroad. Others have chosen very Welsh names. Others welshified non-Welsh names or picked name like Mia.

you wouldn't criticise a Danish family for naming their DD Lærke or Dagmar because French people wouldn't know how to pronounce it, etc.
I wouldn't criticise anyone for using a name from their own culture. I would if asked mention that the æ would cause problems and that it would be mispronounced and misspelt. Dagmar would probably be pronounced phonetically not the Danish way.

I am a Brownies leader and have had multiple Ffions in the last couple of years, so aged 7-10. Ffion Mai is quite popular. Other Welsh names I have are Alys, Seren, Eira, Nia, Elin. I do know a couple of teenage Carys but not younger. South Wales.

I’m talking about Cardiff and environs in 2026. Mix of Welsh medium and English medium schools and families. Our family speak Welsh at home and friends are a mix. The names I mentioned are definitely in fashion, loads of young girls in 2026 have them. Meanwhile all the boys seem to be called Gruff and Macsen!

I'm going by the ONS data. The top 100 names for girls for 2024 has the following Welsh (and phonetic not Welsh in strikethrough) names registered in Wales in 2024:

13 Mali
19 Mia
31 Mila
34 Matilda
39 Erin
42 Mabli
43 Seren
46 Cadi
46 Nora
48 Sophia
53 Alys
55 Eira
55 Lili
55 Nansi
60 Thea
62 Elsi
64 Ffion
64 Harriet
70 Eleri
70 Emilia
73 Lola
75 Eden
80 Robyn
84 Efa
84 Lowri
97 Anwen

Boys:
1 Noah
4 Arthur
6 Theo
7 Leo
8 Oscar
9 Arlo
15 Reuben
17 Osian
18 Rowan
20 Roman
21 Elis
25 Macsen
26 Henry
27 Jacob
30 Dylan
35 Isaac
37 Harri
41 Jac
46 Caleb
49 Edward
53 Sebastian
57 Ethan
62 Owen
72 Benjamin
72 Cai
72 Tomos
76 Elias
76 Ioan
80 Eli
80 Emrys
88 Idris
2 Hari
92 Ifan
97 Noa
100 Gabriel
100 Milo
100 Tobias

I've left the Biblical names in.

Yes, and those lists include the names I mentioned but you said you’d be very surprised to meet a baby with those names… so I’m not sure what you’re trying to say.

OP I think this thread is a good example of how some names will always either never be Welsh enough, or be somehow too Welsh, for some people, so parents should just name their children whatever they want! 😂